


i cry your mercy

by milkyskeleton (orphan_account)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Hange Zoë & Levi Are Best Friends, M/M, Merlin AU, Oblivious Eren Yeager, Pining Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Possessive Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Slow To Update, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Wingwoman Hange, but shhh we can't let him know we know, like the ultimate, loosely based off Merlin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26531302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/milkyskeleton
Summary: Prince Levi was many things. A brave knight, a just leader, a witty individual, a man desired by most residents of Shinganshina Kingdom, and most importantly, someone Eren had never once before met in his life.How should he have known the short, angry midget was the soon-to-be King? It wasn't his fault it was a masquerade.~~~'"Yes," Eren murmured, fondly tracing the words imprinted on his skin. "I want to meet them as soon as possible."Armin watched carefully from afar. He sprinkled some basil over the steaming cauldron, lightly saying, "Oh? Alright." he purposefully avoided looking at Eren, as he said, "And what about Prince Levi?"His friend's face darkened slightly, and he harshly pulled his sleeve back down. "What about him? He's got nothing to do with my soulmate."Oh, Eren,Armin thought, mentally shaking his head, how wrong you are. '~~~or the one with princes, magic, and maybe even a love story amongst those lines
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	i cry your mercy

**Author's Note:**

> howdy, I present forward an ereri fic loosely based off merlin bc why not  
> haha anyway I hope you stick for the ride and enjoy!

And if one should ask Eren what he'd rather be doing on a perfectly beautiful evening, attending the ball of the massive prat that was the Prince of Shinganshina was not what he would've answered.

It had all started about three days ago, when he was minding his own business, searching through the market for the missing ingredients of the spell Armin and he were working on. People were bustling left and right, all hurrying towards where it was they were going.

He passed the stand owned by a dodgy-looking man selling what was probably fake jewelry, heading over to where Christa stood, a short woman who owned a spice shop selling the weirdest herbs. As she saw him approaching, she gave him a wide smile, blue eyes twinkling prettily.

“Eren, good morning!” the woman exclaimed, hands patting at her brown apron devoid of any dust. “You and Armin still working hard, no?”

“Hey, Christa!” Eren saluted her back, offering her a grin of his own. “You know it. I'm actually here for some thyme, if you have any?”

She nodded, absentmindedly rubbing at her covered wrist. “Of course I do. Here,” and she pushed forward a tattered brown bag. She refused the copper coin Eren offered her, waving her hand at him, “No, no. It's on me!”

“Oh,” he slowly stuffed his coin back in his pants, “Alright. Thanks.”

And he grabbed the bag, waved at her, and was off. As he pattered through the crowded market, his own eyes were drawn towards his hand. He snapped his gaze back towards the front immediately.

He slowed down, watching the papers stuck on the walls flutter. He glanced at them, seeing 'Titans' written in bold letters. He sniffed in sudden anger.

The Titans were a group of bandits who were reknown far and wide for not only robbing people, but killing them afterwards. They were powerful, and knew how to hide. They were a threat to all people, and the reason why so many people had come to Shinganshina, seeking the Prince's help, for he was known far and wide for being the bravest in all the lands.

The Prince had been ambushed for more than just a few times, but he had come out of each and every one of them with barely a scratch. (Eren knew this because he had overheard people talking, alright? He hadn't been asking.)

He averted his gaze.

His trek towards home was highlighted by two dogs jumping on him, trying to lick at his face, no less than five ladies fawning over the Prince and saying the most improper things, and a huddle of soldiers watching his movements carefully, as if he were doing something most suspicious.

So when he finally arrived home, it was with a sweating brow and his clothes not just a little ruffled. He threw his bag aside, unceremoniously plopping down in a chair with a deep sigh. In the other room he could hear someone frolicking about, before a loud thud was heard, accompanied by a loud “ _ouch_! “.

“ _Just a minute_!” came a muffled shout, before Armin's head of blonde hair popped into view. “Eren!”

Eren waved at him, still too out of breath to form coherent sentences.

“Are you alright?” his friend said, now walking towards him. His cream pants were stained with an unknown substance, and his shirt was splattered with mysterious powders.

“Nevermind me, what happened to _you_?” he gestured towards Armin's disheveled appearance.

“Ah yes,” the blonde chuckled bitterly, rubbing at his neck as if recounting terrible memories. “Turns out the healing spell Jean requested did not need basil.”

Eren huffed, but not because he was sad Jean wouldn't be getting his spell in time. No, that annoying horseface deserved it. What was unfortunate was that the spell had turned out bad.

He rolled up his sleeves, before standing up with a determined look on his face. “Come on, let's see what went wrong.”

And they set to work, not before remembering to close and lock the door. It was a well-known fact that magic was not the most welcome thing in Shinganshina. It would not do to be discovered fiddling about with spells.

But how ironic could it be, that even for all the animosity in regards to magic, no one seemed too bothered by the writing that had been dubbed 'soulmate markings'. Mysterious things, they were. On almost everyone's wrist were swooping words depicting the first thing the one made for you would say to you.

Eren did not have time to dwell on such things. Being a sorcerer in Shinganshina took all of his attention, and he could not afford to be distracted for even a second, lest he lose his head. And so he continued on his merry way everyday, wide bracelet covering his wrist, sleeves pulled over it just for good measure.

But sometimes, in the dark of the night with the moon as his only witness, he turned over his arm, and traced along the words, wondering if the day he met his soulmate would ever come. It was wonderful to dream, and he was still young. He had a whole lifetime ahead of him to find them.

~~~

“Another one, lassie!”

Loud slurs rang around the pub, accompanied by clinks of beer steins and the occasional merry song. Waitresses moved deftly, holding as many as six plates at once, trying to keep the chaos somewhat under control. Eren almost sent one sprawling towards the floor when he pushed open the wooden door.

“O-oh! I'm so sorry!” he exclaimed, rushing forwards to help balance the many drinks the waitress was wrestling. They both swayed awkwardly for one moment, hands tipping from side to side precariously.

She offered him an unsure smile, as if she wasn't sure whether to thank him or not. As if people normally did not show her kindness. She settled on the former. “T-thank you.” and with one last furtive glance, she scuttled away, the tips of her ears faintly red.

Eren watched her go, wondering if it really was that hot in the pub.

He slowly made his way towards the counter, where a tall woman was leaning, giving him a big grin. She flipper her short ponytail from one shoulder to another.

“Eren, what can I getcha'?” Ymir nodded at him, rubbing a dirty glass with an even dirtier rag.

“A bit of ale, if you might.” he waved an absent hand, throwing down some coins. She nodded before turning around towards a huge barrel. Eren took a seat, watching as Ymir yelled at someone down the bar.

He glanced around him, subtly trying to see whether the soldiers from the Survey Corps were around. He spotted two burly men donned with green capes sitting at a wide table almost in the center of the room, laughing loudly and yelling gibberish.

“Here ya' go.” Ymir said, pushing in front of him a stein filled to the brim with golden liquid matching the golden writing on her wrist.

Eren took a sip of the white foam, sighing contentedly once the cool liquid hit his throat. He placed the stein back down, watching Ymir smirk smugly at him.

“Good as always,” he laughed, raising his drink towards her. She chuckled, before mockingly bowing. As she straightened up, Eren asked her, “Anything good happen around here?”

The woman snorted, pushing her hair back with a soiled hand. “Well, same as always. Though,” and she leaned conspiratorially in front, as if they were plotting against the King. Eren bemusedly leaned forward as well. “Yesterday night I heard two lasses talking something most interesting.”

Eren blinked at her in anticipation, hands tightening on his stein. Ymir's eyes glinted, as she said, “Yes, apparently one of the maids entered the Prince's room while he was still inside!”

Ymir cackled at the deadpan look she was met with, hands coming up to her sides, eyes closing with unshed tears. She wiped at her face, the widest smile on her face. “Yo-you should see your face!”

“Seriously, Ymir? Again?” Eren groaned, watching as the woman nearly doubled over with laughter. He should've known not to believe her. He'd already fallen for this ploy no less than three times before.

“Whatever, I'll see you.” he nodded at her, before grumpily walking towards a dark, empty corner where he would hopefully be able to spend the evening in peace.

He plopped down on the bench, sipping from his ale, and watching as Ymir served other customers with still-barely-concealed laughter. He muttered curses under his breath, before his eyes were drawn towards the two soldiers now surrounded by scantily-dressed ladies.

He eyed their swords and capes, and wondered what life was as a knight. If he wasn't helping people with magic, he would've no doubt been a fighter for the kingdom.

“Fancy stuff, eh?” came a cheery voice to the side, and Eren turned around to find a woman sitting down across the table from him. She was taller than him, hands gripping at a stein larger than his own. She had dark, reddish-brown hair tied up in a wild ponytail that Eren didn't not like. Her glasses glinted in the candlelight.

Eren watched her warily, getting the faint feeling the woman was plotting something. Though, what she could've been he did not know, and he was not one to be prejudiced. He faced her with a smile, taking a big swig of his drink. He was not intending to leave the night sober.

“Yes, though I guess they're off duty tonight.” he laughed, taking another drink and feeling his senses dampen. He relaxed in his chair. The woman's grin swayed a little from side to side.

She nodded, sipping from her own ale. “I heard the Prince,” and she wiggled her eyebrows as she said that, “let them off easy this time.”

Eren snorted, rubbing at his sweaty forehead a little. He wasn't a lightweight, no matter what Jean, Jean... _Jean? Was it Jean?_ He couldn't seem to recall anything other than a face weirdly similar to that of a horse.

“Oho?” the woman's voice filtered faintly through the fuzz, and Eren could hear the curiosity in it. Why she could be curious he did not know. “I take it you aren't a fan of His Majesty?”

He dabbed at his eyes, smothering a yawn. “It's not I don't like... him, him.” he said as though he was reassuring himself he was talking about a man indeed. “I've just heard so much about him, but I've never actually... seen him... _do_ something, y'know?”

He sat up in his seat more, absentmindedly scratching at his covered wrist. “And I... I don't know what I'm saying. It's not... that, actually. It's more that I'm fed up with, with the subject. And uhhhh, he seems like he doesn't like... strawberries? I like strawberries...” he trailed off, suddenly unable to remember what they had been talking about.

But he _did_ like strawberries. He eyed the woman in front of him. She seemed more of a raspberry kind of lass.

He could hear the woman speaking, but his mind was too blurry to distinguish the meaning of her words.

The night passed by in a whirl, as they talked, and talked, and talked some more. They talked about everything and nothing, about soldiers and the Survey Corps, about the woman's soulmate who was apparently some kind of physician, about Armin and Eren's own shop, about the sky and earth, and everything in-between.

Eren felt close to the woman, as if she were an old friend. And so the discussion continued without pause, leaving him not feeling bored a single moment. But, as always, he did not spill a single thing about both he and Arnin possessing magic. He knew not to do that much at least.

The room came back into view.

“-is name's Erwin,” the woman said, then started cackling as if she were thinking of a most hilarious joke. “His eyebrows are huge!”

Eren found this funny, and he started laughing uncontrollably as well, hitting his drink against the woman's. He leaned in his chair, raising his hand towards the ceiling as if reaching for stars.

“-ur soulmate. What are they... like?” someone spoke, but it couldn't have been him, as he was currently arguing with a weird boy about whether he should be eating hay or not. Eren was sure he should, considering he seemed as close to a horse as could be.

“-ere!” someone else said, but it couldn't have been Jean ( _Jean_?), as they had a feminine voice and not a horse drawl. A woman in front of him suddenly pulled up her sleeve, revealing crimson red words on her tan skin.

Eren almost stumbled over himself in an attempt to see her wrist. He rubbed at his eyes, blinked, before squinting at her soulmate sign.

_'Terribly sorry, didn't- Er, what are you doing?'_

Eren looked at the woman with a grin, as she smiled prettily down at him. For all her loud and seemingly crazy talk, she was sure as hell pretty. He placed a hand on her arm, before loudly saying, “They seem very nice! I am ha- **hic** – happy for you!”

She took his hands in her own, her eyes twinkling in the candlelight. She looked like a powerful witch.

The sentences blurred together, and he vaguely realized he was pushing down the bracelet covering his own wrist. Yes, why _shouldn't_ he show his soulmate mark? Show his soulmate mark. Yes, that seemed like a good idea. Fingertips fluttered over his words, tracing the swooping curls and sharp edges carefully.

“ _Oh_ ,” the woman said quietly, and Eren, for some reason, found that perfectly hilarious. How bizarre should it be that this stranger who had spoken so much would be reduced to silence by some mere words.

“I know, right?” he giggled, one hand coming up to cover his eyes. “Whoever they - **hic –** are, they sure have a way with with words, don't they... they?”

Out of all the things she could've done in that moment, the woman chose to flash him a smile. It was a wide one, showing all her white teeth that seemed like blurry snowflakes in Eren's vision. Her eyes sparkled.

“Yes,” she said slowly, as if a plan was forming in her head. Eren took a sip of his drink, watching her dazedly. “That's one interesting soulmate mark you've got there.”

He watched her, words climbing up his throat, ready to be spoken. His head swayed powerfully, and his vision fuzzed around the edges.

He hiccuped one last time, then let darkness welcome him like an old friend.


End file.
